


Breathing Easy

by Kkane88



Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: Caretaking, Concussions, Fights, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Sharing a Bed, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-14
Updated: 2020-02-18
Packaged: 2021-02-19 06:09:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22706329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kkane88/pseuds/Kkane88
Summary: Tyler gets a concussion and Jamie takes care of him. The only problem is, Tyler keeps telling Jamie he loves him.
Relationships: Jamie Benn/Tyler Seguin
Comments: 9
Kudos: 236





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on tumblr:  
> [kkane88](https://kkane88.tumblr.com/)  
> [kwriteshockey](https://kwriteshockey.tumblr.com//)

Jamie doesn’t remember exactly what happened after he saw Tyler go down. There’s flashes of him skating over to make sure Tyler was okay, of seeing Tyler knocked unconscious while the trainers ran over, of seeing the smug faces of the Bruins on the ice. Jamie saw red. He wasn’t even sure who made the hit, but he went for Marchand first- the man who was supposed to be Tyler’s friend, not even looking concerned that Tyler hadn’t moved, hadn’t opened his eyes. When Pastrnak tried to pull Jamie off, Jamie whirled on him, and then Bergeron. He didn’t see Tyler get taken from the ice. Didn’t stop throwing punches until the refs were ejecting him from the ice. Misconduct. 10 minutes. There’s only 6 left in the game anyway, and they’re up by two.

Jamie can’t find it in himself to care.

He barely has the presence of mind to go take his skates off before going to find Tyler and the medical staff. When he opens the door and sees Tyler’s eyes are open Jamie’s relaxes immediately. Seeing his friend unconscious is something Jamie never wants to go through again. The medical staff seem to be running concussion tests on him, and the results don’t look very good. It takes a second for them to notice him in the doorway.

“Concussion?” He asks them quietly, keeping his eyes on Tyler. Tyler sluggishly turns his head and seems to be struggling to focus on Jamie’s face.

“Who’d you fight?” Tyler asks, slurring his words. Jamie can’t stop himself from taking a step closer, everything in him wanting to take Tyler’s pain away. Hurts at seeing Tyler like this.

“I’m sorry, Jamie, but you can’t be in here.” Rob tells him. “We can check you over, too, but we’ll need to take you in a different room.”

“I don’t need checked,” Jamie tells him, eyes still on Tyler.

“You sure? You look like you took a couple hits,” Rob checks. Jamie just shakes his head, but he accepts the ice pack they shove into his hand and allows them to push him out the door. As much as he wants to be by Tyler’s side, he knows the medical team needs room to work. He trusts them. He notices no one told him Tyler’s going to be ok. But at least Tyler seemed to recognize him, and he was speaking. That has to count for something.

Jamie’s showered, changed, and sitting in his stall with the ice pack over half his face and Tyler’s packed bag at his feet when the rest of the team file in. They won- the score the same as when Jamie left the ice- but everyone is a little subdued. Coach doesn’t even bother yelling at Jamie for the fight. They’re all going through their post-game routines when the team physicians come in, gathering the coaching staff in a corner of the room. Jamie lowers the ice pack and waits. You never know how concussions are going to go. Even one could be a career-ender. Jamie doesn’t even want to think about it. Jordie comes over and sits next to Jamie, bumping his shoulder.

“You ok?” Jordie asks. Jamie just shushes him. “He’s gonna be fine.”

“Shut up.” Jamie whispers, knowing he’s being illogical. It’s not like he can hear the conversation happening on the other side of the room. Not like focusing his entire attention on the group is going to get him information any faster. But his every thought is on whether or not Tyler’s going to be ok. Finally, the doctors break away and Coach turns to face the locker room. Everyone goes quiet immediately. Apparently Jamie wasn’t the only one keeping tabs on that conversation.

“Seggy’s got a pretty bad concussion.” Coach doesn’t beat around the bush. There’s a tension in the room as the information settles. “He’s going to be out for a few weeks at least. They’re going to be monitoring him, but they expect he’ll be okay. He’s pretty out of it and he’s going to need someone to watch him for a few days. Any takers?” All the eyes in the room swing over to Jamie, and he’s nodding before he even really processes the question.

“I’ll take him,” he confirms quietly. Coach nods, like that’s what he expected, before he wraps up with a short speech about the game that Jamie doesn’t listen to. As soon as he’s done talking, Jamie grabs his and Tyler’s bags and heads straight back to Tyler, with Jordie hot on his heels. They get stopped by the doctors and he’s given a list of what he needs to do- wake Tyler up every couple hours, make sure he drinks water, make sure he takes this medicine at this time, etc,- before they allow them back to collect the patient. Jamie’s heart skips a beat when they walk in the room and Tyler smiles at them dopily from the cot he’s laying on.

“Hey!” he says sleepily, “You’re my favorite guys! And you came to seee meee.”

“We came to take you home,” Jordie corrects, seeming torn between wanting to laugh or worry over Tyler’s injury. Tyler focuses on Jamie again and struggles to push himself into a sitting position. He reaches out to Jamie and Jamie steps forward immediately, prepared to help Tyler to his feet, but Tyler just grabs Jamie’s hand and pulls him closer. With his other hand he reaches up and gently runs a finger around Jamie’s eye before trailing it down to hover over the sore spot where his lip is split. Jamie’s frozen; Tyler’s a very tactile person but he doesn’t normally touch Jamie like _this_.

“Who’d you fight?” Tyler repeats his question from earlier. Behind him, Jordie snorts.

“ _Everyone_. He fought _everyone_.” Jamie flushes, embarrassed, as Tyler runs that finger slowly back up his cheek before cupping Jamie’s face with his hand.

“You fought for me, J?” Tyler asks, a beatific smile lighting up his face.

“They hurt you,” is all Jamie can say in response. His reaction was maybe a little over the top, but at the time it was all he can think to do. Tyler’s _his_. Even if only in his mind. No one is allowed to hurt him.

“Ugh, you guys are _gross_. Can you save all the sappy shit for when you’re alone, please?” Jamie startles; he had forgotten Jordie was there. Tyler stands up, keeping his hold on Jamie’s hand. He stumbles and Jamie uses his other hand to steady him.

“You’re so good to me.” Tyler giggles. Looking for a distraction before he can do something stupid- like kiss the smile off of Tyler’s face- he picks up Tyler’s bag from the floor and hands it to Jordie before picking up his own. He keeps Tyler’s hand in his. Just in case.

“It would probably be easier to take him back to his own house. Otherwise I’ll have to go check on the dogs every once in awhile.” Jamie reasons, suddenly glad he doesn’t have any pets of his own. He feels Tyler tugging on his hand and starts to let go, but Tyler just grips him tighter.

“Jamie,” he says breathlessly. “You’re even thinking about my puppies? You’re so _perfect_.” Jamie flushes again and pointedly avoids Jordie’s grin.

“Let’s go,” he demands, pulling Tyler out of the room.

Jamie gets Tyler settled in his passenger seat, seatbelt firmly fastened. Tyler’s so blissed out on the medicine they gave him that he just keeps smiling out the window at nothing during the drive. When they pull up at Tyler’s place, he orders Tyler to stay in the car while he goes in to let the dogs out back. They’re good dogs, but Jamie doesn’t want them jumping on Tyler or making him too excited.

He’s glad when he goes out to retrieve Tyler and the man hasn’t moved, patiently waiting for Jamie to come get him. Jamie leads him inside and to the bedroom, sitting him down on the side of the bed.

“I’m going to need you to take your shirt and pants off, okay?” Jamie says, embarrassed. He had considered letting Tyler sleep in his button down and dress pants, but that would’ve been cruel. Tyler pouts at him.

“Can you do it? I’m tiiired,” he whines. Jamie freezes.

“You want me to undress you?” he checks. Tyler seems to be trying for a suggestive smile.

“I want you to _strip_ me,” he purrs. Or tries to. His speech is still slurred, and he’s half asleep. Still, it’s Tyler, so it’s pretty effective; Jamie rolls his eyes, trying not to show how flustered he actually is. He reaches out and tries to unbutton Tyler’s shirt as quickly and efficiently as possible, but he’s deterred when Tyler rolls his head and shoulders back, practically _presenting_ himself. Jamie clears his throat and keeps his eyes firmly on the buttons, finally getting the over shirt off, leaving Tyler in a tank top. Jamie decides that’s good enough, and demands that Tyler take his own pants off while he goes off in search of some sweatpants. He has to draw a line somewhere. His drugged, concussed teammate coming on to him was it. He would prefer if Tyler would come on to him while sober.

He finally wrangles Tyler into the sweatpants and tucks him into bed. Tyler smiles up at him sleepily and Jamie can’t resist running a hand through Tyler’s hair. Tyler tilts up into it, so Jamie does it again. He knows as soon as the medicine wears off, Tyler’s going to be in a lot of pain and he already feels awful about having to wake him up throughout the night. He figures he should let him get to sleep, so he pulls his hand away. Immediately, Tyler’s smile falters.

“Are you leaving?” he asks quietly.

“I’ll just be in the guest room,” Jamie explains. “Right down the hall. I’ll need to come wake you up every couple hours to make sure you’re okay.”

“Oh,” Tyler says, not looking at Jamie. He looks like there’s something else he wants to say, so Jamie crouches down to be at eye level with him.

“What’s wrong, Ty?” Tyler takes a deep breath, looking terrified.

“Can you stay?” he asks in a rush, like he doesn’t want Jamie to hear. Jamie’s just looks at him, confused.

“I am staying, Seggy. I’ll be in the guest room.” Jamie explains again, worried that Tyler’s memory is on the fritz. Tyler just looks defeated, seeming to make himself smaller in the bed. Jamie’s heart constricts, feeling like there’s something he’s missing. He doesn’t know what to do.

“Tyler?” He asks again.

“Can you stay here? With me?” Tyler asks, so quietly Jamie almost can’t hear him. “We can share the bed and I promise I don’t snore and you have to wake me up anyway.” Jamie’s so shocked that he can’t speak; he just stares at Tyler in amazement. While part of him is thrilled that Tyler wants him to stay, he also knows that Tyler has a head injury. He probably doesn’t even realize what he’s saying. But the longer Jamie doesn’t say anything, the more Tyler seems to shrink into himself. “Nevermind,” he finally says, looking so _devastated_ that Jamie’s heart breaks.

“It’s not that I don’t want to,” Jamie explains. “I’m just worried that you’re not going to remember this tomorrow and you won’t want me in your bed.”

“I always want you in my bed,” Tyler says gloomily, still not looking at Jamie. “ _Always_ Jamie. I love you.” Jamie chokes on air and it takes him a few minutes to get his breath back. He doesn’t know what to say so he acts like he didn’t hear anything at all.

“I guess I can stay for tonight,” he relents. Tyler finally looks at him, so hopeful. “Just let me go change and I’ll be right back.” Jamie has an extra pair of shorts that he keeps in the guest room for the days that they hang out at Tyler’s and he gets tired of wearing jeans. He goes and grabs them, but realizes that he doesn’t have a shirt. He doesn’t normally sleep in a shirt, but he feels a little awkward sharing a bed with the drugged guy he’s half in love with while only wearing a pair of shorts. He imagines Tyler’s disappointed face again, and puts any awkwardness out of his head. If this is what Tyler wants, then Jamie’s going to give it to him. He also makes sure to go let the dogs back in, filling their food and water bowls before closing them into the den where their beds are.

Tyler’s barely awake when Jamie enters the room again- looks like he’s fighting with everything he has to keep his eyes open.

“Go to sleep, Ty,” Jamie says gently, setting the alarm on his phone to go off in a few hours and plugging in his charger.

“Wanted to make sure you were coming back,” Tyler hums. Jamie looks at him just as he lets his eyes fall shut and his breathing evens out. He feels a little awkward climbing into the bed with Tyler already asleep but he reminds himself that Tyler seemed so distressed when he thought Jamie was leaving. He sends one last text to Jordie, letting him know they’re settled in, before checking his alarms one last time. After the exhausting night he’s had, it’s surprisingly easy to let himself drift off to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

When his alarm starts going off a couple hours later, Jamie’s disoriented and confused. It’s still dark out and he doesn’t know what time it is and he feels certain that he didn’t get enough sleep. It isn’t until he hears a pained groan next to him that he’s suddenly shocked into wakefulness. _Tyler_. Jamie turns the alarm off before flipping on the bedside light, blinking a few times to clear the sleep from his eyes. He sits up and faces Tyler, reluctant to wake the sleeping man, but knowing this is important.

“Tyler,” he reaches out, gently shaking Tyler’s shoulder. Tyler groans and turns his face into the pillow. “Ty, look at me.” Tyler groans again but turns to squint up groggily at Jamie. “Can you tell me what my name is?” Tyler looks at him like he’s an idiot.

“Jamie.” he says, in a tone that matches the look.

“When’s my birthday?”

“July 18th.” Tyler states immediately, and Jamie pauses because he honestly didn’t expect him to know that one.

“How many dogs do you have and what are their names?”

“Three: Marshall, Cash, and Gerry. Jamie, _shut up_ and let me go back to sleep. My head fucking hurts,” he grumbles.

“Just one more question,” Jamie demands. “Do you remember what happened?” Tyler sighs heavily.

“I got hit and I have a concussion.” Tyler buries his face back into the pillow and Jamie relents, turning off the light and resetting the alarm. He settles back down onto the bed to sleep, but he’s startled when Tyler shifts, snuggling up to Jamie’s side and resting his head on Jamie’s shoulder. “Hurts.” Tyler whines. Jamie tries not to read into how snuggly Tyler’s being, but before he realizes what he’s doing, his hand comes up and starts stroking through Tyler’s hair, making him relax instantly.

“Do you need anything?” Jamie checks. He’s not supposed to give Tyler any other medicine until the morning, but maybe some water or ice would help him.

“No,” Tyler stops him before he can move. “Just you. Glad you stayed.” And then he’s asleep before Jamie can say anything else. Jamie falls asleep with one hand still stroking through Tyler’s hair.

They go through the waking-up process a few more times, Jamie coming up with different questions that get more and more ridiculous until Tyler seems ready to strangle him. Although, that may be due to the fact that the meds are wearing off and Tyler’s feeling more and more of the pain. The last time Jamie wakes him up, Tyler starts whimpering against Jamie’s skin instantly. Jamie just holds him close, doesn’t bother asking any questions, just lets Tyler fall back to sleep.

Sometime around dawn, Tyler scrambles up out of the bed, making a beeline for the bathroom. Jamie startles awake, follows him, gets there just in time to see Tyler throwing up into the toilet. He runs and grabs a bottle of water before coming back and kneeling down next to Tyler, running a hand up and down over his back, trying to soothe him. Once he’s finished puking, Tyler leans sideways against Jamie, letting out a sob that absolutely breaks Jamie’s heart. He reaches out and grabs some toilet paper so Tyler can wipe his mouth off before opening the water bottle and handing it to Tyler.

“Rinse your mouth out.” Jamie’s surprised when Tyler does it without complaint before settling back against Jamie’s side. He wraps his arm around Tyler, running a hand up and down his arm while Tyler breathes deeply, like he’s trying to settle his stomach.

“Can I take something?” he asks in a raspy voice. Jamie does the math in his head, and yes, he probably could, but-

“You need to eat something first.” Tyler lets out a breath that sounds suspiciously like another sob.

“I know it sucks, but you can’t take these meds on an empty stomach,” Jamie explains. “It’ll make you even more sick.” Tyler doesn’t respond, doesn’t make any move to get up, and Jamie tries to think of something that won’t make Tyler nauseous. “How about some eggs?” Tyler makes an affirmative sound and Jamie pulls away to look at him. “Do you think you’re going to puke again?”

“No,” Tyler says, sounding miserable.

“Lets get you back to bed then, eh?” Jamie helps Tyler up, through much grumbling and whining, and guides him back to the bed. Tyler falls back to sleep almost as soon as his head hits the pillow, and Jamie goes to the kitchen to make their breakfast and pull out the pills for him to take. While he’s cooking, he gets a call from Coach telling him he’s excused from practice today on account of taking care of Tyler. He argues, but mostly out of a sense of Captainly duty and not because he actually wants to be there. He doesn’t think he could tear himself away from Tyler anyway. He lets the dogs out of the den and back out into the back yard so they can run around a little bit, feeling bad for leaving them shut in when he knows Tyler usually lets them sleep on the bed with him. Once the food is ready, he heads back to the bedroom. He feels awful for having to wake Tyler up again, but figures he should get ahead of the pain before it gets any worse.

“Here, Seggy.” He says, poking Tyler until he wakes up.

“I’m really starting to hate you,” Tyler groans, but he obediently moves to sit up against the headboard. They sit in silence while they eat, and when they’re finished Jamie gives him the medicine to take while he goes to stick the plates in the dishwasher. He expects Tyler to be asleep when he comes back, but he’s surprised to see him sitting up waiting. “I know I can’t be on my phone right now, but can you check it for me? I haven’t talked to my mom or anything.” Jamie almost facepalms that he hadn’t thought of that. Tyler’s family would probably be freaking out.

“Of course,” he agrees, and while Tyler lays back down, Jamie rifles through his bag. He finds Tyler’s phone and goes to settle on the other side of the bed, holding it out so Tyler can unlock it with his fingerprint. Tyler has a _lot_ of messages. Jamie scrolls down until he finds Tyler’s mom’s messages and reads them out loud.

_Please let me know that you’re okay_

_Tyler it’s been hours, what’s going on?_

_The only reason I know you’re not dead is because of social media. Please talk to me_

Tyler asks Jamie to call her and put her on speaker, and Jamie agrees as long as Tyler doesn’t get worked up. His mom’s upset and Jamie doesn’t know how she’s going to react. The phone barely gets through the first ring before Jackie’s voice is coming through the speaker.

“Tyler? Are you okay?” she asks immediately, sounding worried.

“I have a concussion, mom.”

“And you’re on your phone?” She practically shrieks. “You were knocked unconscious Tyler Paul Seguin, you should be resting.”  
“Mom!” Tyler breaks in at Jamie’s warning look. “Jamie’s here. He’s got my phone on speaker.”

“Oh, good,” she sounds relieved. “Hi, Jamie. Are you taking care of him?”

“Yes, ma'am.” he assures her, flushing. Tyler grins at him, and Jamie can tell he’s starting to get a little loopy.

“I should probably let you get some rest,” Jackie says reluctantly. “Let me know if there’s any updates.” Jamie assures her that he’ll keep in touch and hangs up, looking to Tyler for direction.

“Do I have any other messages?” Tyler asks, eyes starting to droop closed again.

“Yeah. Want me to read them to you?” Jamie pulls up his messages when Tyler nods and scrolls down to the oldest ones. Mostly they’re from former teammates or friends from home asking if he’s ok. For most of those, Tyler tells him to just send back that he’s got a concussion and he’ll talk to them later. It isn’t until he gets to the last message- Brownie’s- that Jamie pauses. Coughs. Blushes. He considers pretending it isn’t there, but Tyler’s probably been waiting for the message from one of his best friends. His silence lasts long enough to grab Tyler’s attention.

“Is that it?” Tyler asks, sounding disappointed. Jamie bites the bullet. The embarrassment is worth Tyler’s happiness.

“Um, this last one’s from Brownie. He says ” _Hope ur ok wifey. Benny fucked those guys UP 4 u. Was pretty hot ;)_ “ Tyler laughs, head thrown back, before grinning at Jamie.

"Send back ” _Have a concussion. It was pretty hot. I have my own personal body guard.“_ Jamie thinks- hopes- he’s kidding, but he’s insistent that Jamie send it, even threatening to take the phone away and do it himself. Jamie agrees, just to keep Tyler from moving too much, and finally sets the phone down on the nightstand. "You really fought all of them?” Tyler asks, almost shyly.

“Not _all_ of them,” Jamie disagrees. “Just… three of them.”

“Which three?” Tyler asks, half asleep again.

“Um…” Jamie’s hesitant to tell Tyler he hit Marchand, because of their tenuous friendship. But all he can see is Marchand’s smirk when Tyler was laying on the ice. “Marchard, Pastrnak, and Bergeron.”

“Good.” Tyler smiles, eyes fully closed now. “You’re the best, J. Love you.” Tyler mumbles right before he falls asleep.

Jamie calls Jordie.

“Tyler has told me he loves me twice,” he says as soon as Jordie picks up. “I’m having a crisis. Can you come over?” Jordie laughs at him. And laughs. And laughs.

“Of course he’s told you he loves you. Have you said it back yet?” Jordie asks, still chuckling.

“He’s drugged, Jordie. He doesn’t mean it. I bet he’d say it to you if you were here.”

“Nah, Chubbs, the meds are only giving him the courage to say what he can’t normally.” Jordie says, a little more seriously. “You guys are gonna have to have a talk when he’s better.”

“Can you just come over after practice?” Jamie pleads. “Maybe with some food? I’m exhausted and I think I’m gonna take a nap.” Jordie agrees, pretending to sound put-out, but Jamie knows he probably wants to check on Tyler anyway. Jamie goes to let the dogs back inside after making sure the door to Tyler’s room is firmly closed. They whine at Jamie, all trying their best to snuggle him even as he’s standing. He gives in, feeling bad at how little attention he’s been paying them, and goes to sit on Tyler’s giant couch that he got specifically so he could snuggle with all three dogs at once. They pile on him and settle down immediately and Jamie has a second of wishing this was his life- Tyler asleep in the bedroom and Jamie snuggling with the dogs on the couch. It would be a pretty nice life.

He’s awoken by his phone ringing- Jordie calling him to come unlock the front door. Jamie appreciates that he didn’t just ring the doorbell and wake Tyler up. When Jamie lets him in, Jordie spends some time petting the dogs while Jamie updates him on how their night went- expect for the cuddling part- and starts peeking in the bags of food to see what Jordie got them to eat.

“I hate to wake him up again,” Jamie admits, “but he needs to eat.”

“I’ll wake him up,” Jordie says with a glint in his eye. “I want Tyler’s love, too. You’re hogging it all.” Jamie rolls his eyes but follows Jordie up to Tyler’s bedroom. He waits in the doorway while Jordie goes over and wakes Tyler more gently than Jamie had expected.

“Jordie?” Tyler asks once he finally blinks his eyes open. He looks adorably confused and Jamie can’t help but smile. “Where’s Jamie?” Jordie rolls his eyes, pretending to be hurt by Tyler’s dismissal.

“And here I thought you’d be happy to see a different face,” Jordie moans. “I come over here to check on you and bring you food and you just don’t appreciate me.” Jamie moves into Tyler’s line of sight and his breath catches at the excited smile that lights up Tyler’s face.

“You didn’t leave me,” Tyler chirps happily. Jamie moves closer but doesn’t reach out and touch Tyler the way he wants to.

“I told you I wouldn’t,” Jamie reminds him, earning another sleepy smile in return. Jordie starts making gagging noises next to them and Jamie looks away from Tyler to shove at him. “Can you get up, Ty? We have lunch. I thought maybe you’d like to come downstairs and see the dogs.” Tyler’s on his feet before Jamie even sees him move, and Tyler has to grab hold of Jamie’s arm to keep from falling over. “Hey, careful,” Jamie scolds him gently.

“Sorry, I just got excited,” Tyler giggles, putting on the sunglasses that Jordie holds out to him.

“Don’t get too worked up, okay?” Jamie warns him. “I know you wanna see them but if you get too excited it could make your head worse and we’ll both be in trouble.” Tyler just smiles at him before pulling him toward the stairs. Jamie looks back to where Jordie’s standing- arms crossed, with a raised eyebrow and a smirk on his face. He’s not exactly reassured by either of them.

Tyler does manage to keep himself under control, greeting the dogs happily but not with too much energy. They’re all three obviously thrilled to see him and it’s a long time before Tyler stands up to make his way to the dining room where Jamie and Jordie have their lunch set out. When Tyler sits down next to Jamie, he’s subdued. Jamie’s sure that even with the sunglasses the light in the room is bothering him, and it’s been a few hours since his last dose of medicine so it’s probably starting to wear off. He reaches up and grasps the nape of Tyler’s neck, careful not to jostle him too much.

“You okay?” he checks. Tyler smiles at him tiredly.

“My headache’s coming back but at least I don’t feel like puking this time.” Tyler explains, listing a little toward Jamie.

“Eat quick and then we’ll get you back to bed, okay?” Tyler nods and starts eating, keeping his shoulder pressed against Jamie’s. Jordie keeps shooting Jamie pointed looks from across the table that Jamie doesn’t understand, so he ignores them. Tyler does eat quick and then sips from the water Jamie hands him while he waits for Jamie and Jordie to finish. “Do you need help back upstairs?”

“I don’t think so,” Tyler says, standing. “Thanks for taking care of me. I don’t know what I would do without you.” He leans down and kisses Jamie on the cheek before making his way back upstairs. Jamie’s so shocked that he doesn’t even say anything when Tyler takes the dogs upstairs with him.

“Jamie,” Jordie breaks him out of his stupor. “You can’t blame _that one_ on the drugs.”

“He didn’t say it this time,” Jamie argues.

“Has he ever kissed you before?” Jordie asks like he knows the answer.

“It was on the cheek.”

“It was a declaration of love and happiness forever and ever.” Jordie crows. “You’re in love with each other. You need to tell him.” Jamie takes a deep breath, trying to think of something to say that Jordie can’t argue with. It’s a lost cause. So he doesn’t say anything. “Jamie you’ve been pining since practically the moment he got to Dallas. You already know he’s into men and he’s probably been pining after you for just as long.”

“He knows I’m gay. If he was interested he would’ve said something by now.”  
“What if he’s thinking the same thing about you?” Jordie argues.

“It’s Tyler! We both know I’m the awkward one here and he’s always been the one that goes after what he wants.” Jordie pauses, making sure he has Jamie’s full attention before he speaks.

“He wouldn’t if he thought that making a move would cause him to lose you as a friend.” Jordie says seriously. “He cares about you. Anyone can see that. And I know how you feel about him because I’m your brother, but you keep your cards pretty close to your chest and there’s a pretty good chance that he doesn’t know how crazy you are about him.”

Jamie takes this in. Tyler likes to be loud and party and be the center of attention, that’s for sure. He loves to go out and drink and dance and have fun. But Tyler’s also content when he’s quiet at home, curled up watching a movie and eating junk food. And sometimes Tyler gets insecure. He worries that he’s losing touch with his friends, or that he’s going to say or do the wrong thing and someone will get mad at him. He has scars from Boston. That’s why Jamie went after Marchand after that hit. Tyler was a mess after the trade- would stare at his phone and ask Jamie if he should call. Would get drunk and ask Jamie why his friends all hate him now when he was only doing what they were doing. Jamie doesn’t understand how anyone could treat someone as _good_ as Tyler the way Marchand did.

So Jordie could be right. Tyler could be so afraid of messing up his relationship with Jamie that he would keep his feelings to himself. Jordie’s been quiet while Jamie worked through his thoughts, but he looks expectant when Jamie finally makes eye contact with him.

“You really think I should talk to him?” he asks timidly. “What if you’re wrong and he doesn’t feel that way?”

“You know he wouldn’t treat you any different.” Jordie shrugs. “At least you would know.” Jamie nods to himself. If he were to tell Tyler and Tyler didn’t feel the same way, he knows Tyler would never patronize him or hold it against him. It would _probably_ turn out fine. That doesn’t make it any easier.

“I don’t want to do it while he’s recovering.” Jamie finally decides. At least this way he’ll have some time to think about what he wants to say. _If_ he decides to say anything at all.

“That’s probably a good idea,” Jordie agrees. “Just try not to combust in the meantime every time he does something cute.”


	3. Chapter 3

Jamie gives Tyler some space for the rest of the night, mostly because the dogs are hogging the bed and Jamie has no reason to wake Tyler up anymore. Rob from the medical team calls him and asks him to bring Tyler to practice in the morning so they can check him over again, and most of the team sends check-in texts. By the time 7pm rolls around, Jamie's laying half asleep on the couch watching some kind of documentary about George Washington and trying to decide if he should just go to bed- or where he should sleep. He doesn’t hear Tyler coming down the stairs, but sees him walk into the room. He comes over lays down, wedging himself between Jamie and the back of the couch, throwing an arm over Jamie's waist. The dogs settle on the floor beneath them. Any other time Jamie would be panicking about the cuddling, but after last night this feels natural.

Jamie's about to reach for the remote to turn the tv off- Tyler's not supposed to be looking at screens- when Tyler turns his face into Jamie's shoulder and hides his eyes.

"Can you leave it on?" Tyler pleads. "I'm so bored." Jamie hesitantly agrees, but keeps a close eye on Tyler. The first time it looks like Tyler's trying to watch, Jamie's turning it off.

"Are you hungry?" he asks. He didn't wake Tyler up for dinner, deciding it was better to let him sleep. He also hasn't taken any of the meds since the incident that morning.

"Nah, I just feel really weird. Not used to taking that much stuff," Tyler says, voice muffled by Jamie's sweatshirt.

"Rob wants you to come in tomorrow so he can check you over."

"To the game?" Tyler asks hopefully.

"You know they're not gonna let you watch the game," Jamie says.

"A guy can dream," Tyler sighs. They lay in silence for awhile and Jamie lets his attention drift back to the tv, enjoying the feeling of Tyler's weight on him. He's just starting to doze off again when Tyler lifts his head to look at him. Jamie's hand automatically goes to the remote but Tyler reaches over and stops his movement. He trails his fingers up Jamie's arm and continues up to his face, fingertips tracing a path over his sore lip and up to his eye. "Why did you fight them?" Tyler asks quietly. Jamie stares at him- they've already talked about this.

"They hurt you," he explains again.

"Bergy was the one that hit me, but you fought all three of them," Tyler argues. "Why?"

"I was scared, I guess," Jamie says hesitantly. "You were laying there and you weren't getting up and they didn't seem to care. I was pissed."

"I haven't seen the replay yet, but you don't fight people like that." Tyler insists. "What was different?"

"Tyler, you were _unconscious_." Jamie's exasperated and a little embarrassed. "I lost my head for a minute."

"You've seen other guys hurt pretty bad before and you've never reacted like that." Tyler seems to be searching for a specific answer, and Jamie isn't sure what it is. "Was it because it was me?"

"I- Yeah, I guess." Jamie admits, knowing the answer is a solid yes but afraid to say it. Tyler looks at him closely for a few seconds before his face lights up, his smile a little too knowing for Jamie's tastes, and he settles his head back onto Jamie's shoulder.

"I like that you're protective of me," Tyler states matter-of-factly. Jamie doesn't really know how to respond to that in a way that doesn't embarrass himself, so he stays quiet. They're both starting to doze off when Tyler tugs on the hem Jamie's hoodie to get his attention. "Jamie, you know I love you, right?" he asks urgently. And just like every other time, Jamie's heart starts racing.

"I-" Jamie starts, unsure of how to respond. Tyler's not medicated this time, just sleepy, and he sounds so earnest. "Yeah, Ty, I- I know." he finally says.

"Good," Tyler says, sounding perfectly content. He leaves his hand loosely gripping Jamie's sweatshirt and they eventually fall asleep like that.

Jamie wakes up in the middle of the night and gently urges Tyler up to the bedroom, doesn't even pretend to hesitate before climbing into the bed himself.

When his alarm goes off the next morning, Jamie has to bully Tyler into showering and changing clothes while he makes breakfast. Before they leave the house, he makes Tyler put on sunglasses and brings an extra blanket just in case he needs to cover his head to block out the sunlight. Tyler makes fun of him for being a mother hen, but he takes the blanket anyway. He does end up using it on the drive when the light mixed with the motion of the car makes him nauseated. Thankfully, he doesn't puke and Jamie rushes him inside to the trainers as soon as they get to the rink.

Jordie grins at him when he walks into the locker room and asks, "How's loverboy?"

"He said it again last night," Jamie tells him quietly, hoping no one else will hear.

"What's he up to now, three?" Jordie teases. "He's gonna start being hurt if you don't say it back."

"He wasn't medicated last night," he continues, acting like Jordie hadn't spoken. "He was sleepy but he was in his right mind. What do I do with that?" Jordie rolls his eyes and grabs Jamie by the shoulders.

"I already told you, Chubbs. He means it. He's just waiting for you."

"So you think I should tell him now?" he asks, the thought making him sweat.

"Well we're leaving for that 3 game road trip tomorrow," Jordie reminds him. "Depends on whether you want to do it before or after, I guess." Jamie blanches. He _forgot about the road trip_. He can't just leave Tyler _home alone_ for five days. But before he has time to go panic to the trainers about it, he has to be on the ice.

He manages to work his way through his post-practice routine and even takes some time to answer questions from the media before he races to find Tyler. He corners Rob outside the door and panics to him about the road trip.

"Jamie, it's okay. We've decided to take him off the strong meds. His concussion isn't as bad as we first feared it might be." Rob reassures him. "He's strictly on Tylenol from now on. He should be able to look after himself just fine. Besides, Demers isn't going on the trip either because of his leg, so he can check in every once in awhile. We already asked him."

"So he's okay?" Jamie checks again.

"Yes, he's fine for someone with a concussion." Rob laughs. "He still needs to take it easy, but he'll be okay without you." Jamie tries to hide his embarrassment at how obviously worried he is. He doesn't usually hover this much over his injured teammates and he doesn't particularly like the way Rob's looking at him, so he just goes in to get Tyler.

The lights are dimmed in the room where Tyler's laying on a cot, sunglasses on and arms thrown above his head. Jamie tries to keep his eyes from trailing down his body but it's a lost cause, and when he forces his eyes back up there's a small smirk on Tyler's face. Jamie flushes and clears his throat.

"You ready to go home?" he asks. Tyler holds out a hand.

"Can you help me up?" he asks, and Jamie moves immediately. He pulls Tyler into a sitting position and the man swings his legs over the side of the cot. He uses his grip on Jamie's hand to pull him closer into the V of his legs, looking up at Jamie with that same small smirk. Jamie swallows hard.

"Have I told you how much I appreciate you taking care of me?" Tyler checks, smirk turning into a more genuine smile.

"Uh, yeah, a couple times." Jamie responds. "It's not a big deal."

"It is to me," Tyler says more seriously. "It means a lot to me. Jamie?" he waits until Jamie looks him in the eyes. "It means a lot because it's _you._ " Jamie's not sure what that means. Tyler's looking at him expectantly and he doesn't know what to _say._

He opens and closes his mouth a couple times before finally saying, "Well, we're about to leave on that road trip. Then you'll be on your own for a few days." Tyler's face morphs into what Jamie can only call fond exasperation.

"They said Daddy'll be checking on me," Tyler explains. "Besides, I'll be perfectly content knowing you're going to worry about me the _entire time._ " Jamie wants to argue or pretend that's not true, but Tyler looks so delighted by the idea that he can't say anything against it.

"Lets just get you back home so you can rest, yeah?" Tyler grins and follows without complaint.

They win the game that night and Jamie goes home to pack a bag afterwards for the early flight the next day. He considers not going back to Tyler's but this is the last time he'll see him in almost a week and Jamie isn't strong enough to resist. He lets himself in and makes his way upstairs to Tyler's room to find him laying in bed already staring toward the doorway like he was expecting Jamie.

"Where are the dogs?" Jamie asks, surprised to see them missing from the bed.

"I had to shut them downstairs," Tyler explains. "They wanted to play and I was getting pushed around too much. Hurt my head." He looks at Jamie with a grin. "And I was hoping you would come back so I kept the bed open for you." Jamie smiles back at him, relieved that there isn't going to be any kind of awkwardness about this. Although, he isn't sure why he expected there to be. Everything with Tyler is always easy and this situation hasn't been anything different.

"I'm glad they took you off the strong meds," Jamie says as he's settling onto what has become his side of the bed.

"I'm not," Tyler groans, curling up against Jamie's side. "Everything hurts now."

"You're not acting like it," Jamie observes, shifting so Tyler can settle more firmly against him. He takes a second to acknowledge to himself how easily they've gotten into the habit of _snuggling_.

"My head hurts constantly and I’m still kinda sore from that hit and I'm constantly bored because I can't look at my phone or watch TV or work out. It's awful." Tyler complains. "But it's all going to be worse when you're not here to distract me."

"I'm sorry, Ty." Jamie feels awful about having to leave him.

"Stop," Tyler scolds. "I'm not trying to guilt you. You have to go do your job and win for us."

"Wish you could be there to win with me. I hate seeing you hurt." Jamie grumbles, closing his eyes.

"Me too," Tyler agrees. Jamie feels the smallest pressure on his shoulder, like Tyler maybe pressing a kiss there, and then they both fall silent until they drift off to sleep.

His alarm goes off way too early the next morning and he leaves Tyler sleeping peacefully in bed while he goes through his morning routine. He's standing by the front door, bag at his feet, trying to decide if he should wake Tyler to say goodbye when the choice is taken out of his hands. Tyler makes his way down the stairs and steps right into Jamie's space, stopping just a few inches away.

"You leaving me?" Tyler asks softly. Jamie brings a hand up to rest on the nape of Tyler's neck, taking in the obvious strain around his eyes in the early morning light.

"Don't say it like that," Jamie scolds gently. "I'll be back before you know it."

"I know," Tyler smiles up at him. He closes the remaining distance between them and presses a lingering kiss to Jamie's cheek. Jamie stops breathing. Tyler moves back, still smiling, with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. "I love you. Go win for me."

"I-" Jamie starts. This would be the perfect moment to just say it back. Just _say it._ But he doesn't want the first time he says it to be right before he walks out the door for 5 days. Then again, if this has all been a joke and Tyler doesn't mean it and Jamie says it, he has 5 days to hide in embarrassment. He pauses long enough that Tyler raises an amused eyebrow at him, seeming to _know_ the internal struggle Jamie's facing. "I will. See you later." he finally says.

On the plane, Jordie sits down next to him, takes one look at his face, and bursts into laughter.

"I've never seen you _love-sick_ before," Jordie teases, still giggling. "So you finally worked it out?"

"No," Jamie answers glumly. "He said it again right before I left and I was going to say it back but I didn't want to say it and then walk out the door. I'll talk to him when I get back."

"Your life is tragic," Jordie says dryly. "You're going to be _pining_ this whole trip and I'm going to have to cover for you. But don't worry, I'll call it even as long as you make me the best man at your wedding."

"Duh," Jamie says thoughtlessly, and then flushes when he realizes what he agreed to. Jordie just laughs again.

He makes it through practice, his pre-game nap, and the game that night (a loss) while purposely keeping his thoughts away from Tyler. But as soon as he's in his hotel room his hands keep twitching towards his phone. He knows Tyler can't be on his phone, but he wonders if it's too late to ask Jason to go over there and check on him. This is the first day Tyler's been by himself since the injury. What if he's not eating properly? What if he gets so bored that he doesn't listen to the doctors and does something he's not supposed to? What if the dogs are too much for him to handle right now? He manages not to call, telling himself over and over that Tyler's an adult that can take care of himself.

They don't have a game the next day, so Jamie manages to sleep in a little bit and makes it to team breakfast before the flight to Vancouver. Still no word about Tyler that night.

He doesn't hear anything until after the game the next night, on the third day of the trip. They won the game and he's back in his hotel room when his phone rings. He sees it's Demers calling and he almost drops the phone in his haste to answer.

"Hey, what's wrong? Is Tyler okay?" he asks in a rush. He only hears laughter in response until Tyler's voice comes through, sounding like he's on speaker.

"I'm fine, J. We watched the game and wanted to congratulate you." Tyler explains. Jamie _panics_.

"You better not have watched the game." He really, really hopes Tyler's kidding.

" _He_ didn't watch the game," Jason says pointedly. " _I_ watched the game with headphones on and gave him updates while he sat next to me and pouted."

"You were supposed to let me scare him," Tyler shoots back. "It's fun when he gets all protective and flustered."

"It is not," Jamie grumbles. "But you're good, Ty?"

"Yeah, I'm good," Tyler assures him, obviously smiling.

"I'm good too, thanks for asking," Jason chimes in sarcastically. Jamie flushes again.

"Don't be too offended, Daddy." Tyler jokes. "Jamie's protective of me. Did you see him beat up three guys to defend my honor?"

"I did." Jason confirms.

"I really need to get to bed," Jamie cuts in before Jason can say anything else. And it's true, he's pretty dead on his feet, and now that he knows Tyler's okay he'll rest a little easier.

"Wait, hold on," Tyler starts. There's some shuffling sounds and then Tyler's voice is back, closer like he took the phone off of speaker. "Hey, road trip's already half over."

"Just two more days," Jamie hums.

"Will you come back to me when you get back?" Tyler asks, quietly hopeful.

"Of course," Jamie agrees without hesitation. "I'll come straight there from the plane."

"Awesome," Tyler breathes. "I love you. Good night."

"I- Good night, Ty." Jamie chickens out again. He promises himself that he'll tell Tyler the night he gets back. He just wants to say it in person first.

They play their last game- a win, thankfully- and they're _finally_ on the plane back home. He's always relieved to go home, but this time there's an extra edge to it. He keeps making plans on how he's going to say it. Should he do it casually, like Tyler? Just slip it into conversation and hope Tyler knows that he's serious? Should he wait for the right moment, or do it as soon as he sees Tyler? He doesn't know how much longer he can hold out. Jordie laughs at his fidgeting and Jamie forces himself to sit still. He needs to stop worrying about it and just let it happen however it happens. He's had plenty of opportunity to do it, another one is bound to come up.

Finally, _finally_ the plane lands and Jamie makes his way to his car, hands shaking a little bit.

"Good luck, Chubbs. Go get your man." Jordie cheers, clapping him on the shoulder encouragingly. Strangely enough, that does make Jamie feel a little bit better. No matter what, Jordie's got his back.

He walks into Tyler's house and the dogs come running from the living room. He bends down to greet them all, but stands back up when Tyler walks over. He steps right into Jamie's space and hugs him, like he's relieved to see him.

"Hey," Jamie greets. "What have you been up to?" He asks when Tyler doesn't let him go.

"I was listening to an audiobook." Tyler explains. "Rob said I could." he interrupts before Jamie could ask if he was supposed to be doing that. He pulls out of the hug and smiles at Jamie. "You look wiped. Are you ready for bed?"

"Yeah," Jamie admits. Travelling always zaps his energy. "I think I'm gonna take a shower and then pass out."

"I'm gonna listen to my audiobook in the bedroom, then, until you're ready to sleep," Tyler says, and Jamie wonders at how much his life has changed over the past couple weeks that it's expected that he and Tyler are going to share a bed. He's not complaining. He showers in the master bathroom and when he comes out and settles on the bed Tyler shuts off his book. Jamie decides that now is probably the time. He props himself up on one elbow, looking down at Tyler laying on his back.

"Hey," he says nervously.

"Hi," Tyler smiles up at him. Jamie hesitates for a minute, wondering if he should work his way up to it. When no other words come, he just decides to go for it.

"I love you." His heart's racing and he feels a flush crawling up his face. Tyler just bites his lip, looking _delighted_.

"I know," he says happily. Jamie coughs.

"Oh." He doesn't really know what to do with that. Tyler reaches up and cups Jamie's cheek.

"I've suspected for awhile, but after you went all hulk smash after my hit I was pretty sure," Tyler explains. "That's why I've been telling you I love you. I wanted you to know that I felt the same way. And I really liked how flustered you got every time I said it," he teases. Jamie tries to duck his head to hide his smile, but Tyler doesn't let him.

"At first I thought you were only saying it because you were drugged," Jamie admits. "And then you kept saying it. And I wanted to tell you how I felt but it never seemed like the right time. I was leaving for a trip and then it was over the phone. I just wanted to tell you in person. Like this. Well maybe not exactly like this, but. You know."

"That's ok," Tyler reassures him, slipping his hand up until he's running his fingers through Jamie's hair. "I didn't need you to tell me for me to know it was true. You showed me pretty much every moment of the day." He looks at Jamie sternly. "But it's still really nice to hear. Don't think you don't need to remind me every once in awhile."

"I love you," Jamie says again, just in case. He has a couple to make up for. Tyler just smiles up at him.

"I love you, too. Will you kiss me now?"

Jamie does.


End file.
